Wine Guide: Introduction | Search | Travel Section | Wine Expert

The New World

Encompassing North America and South America, the New World offers enormous choice for both the casual wine drinker and the serious wine buff - especially since South American wineries are now producing some very impressive quality wine which compare more than favourably with longer-established vineyards.

USA
Whilst 48 out of 50 American states produce wine in smaller or larger amounts, USA's big hitter is, of course, California, an ideal environment for wines with a range of soils and climatic conditions. Producing over 95% of all the grapes used for wine in the USA, with over 800 wineries, though Oregon, Washington, Texas and Virginia are all growing fast. Up until the 1990s, the majority of wineries produced Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but now Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir are enjoying growing popularity and increasing quality.

Argentina
As the world's fifth largest wine producer, it's surprising that, until recently, Argentina exported hardly any of its own wine - though the Argentinians are particularly fond of their wine. The country produces an amazing variety of grapes within its thousand-plus wineries - so look out, in particular, for wines from regions such as Mendoza and Rio Negro. Argentina produces fine Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons, but it has some excellent lesser-known wines such as Malbec (rich and luxurious reds), Tempranillo, Barbera and Syrah - with Bonarda as a wine which, some say, can rival Beaujolais.

Chile
Rapidly growing in popularity, Chile produces some of the most flavoursome grapes in the world, producing magnificent, confident reds, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. However, Pinot Noir and an original Bordeaux grape, Carmenere, are fast gaining popularity. The biggest grape-growing region is Aconcagua and the Casablanca Valley, the latter being the place where Chile's best whites are produced. The best place for reds is the Central Valley, south of Santiago.